It’s never too early for young people to develop a charitable mindset. When younger people learn to give back to their communities, they form habits they’ll likely maintain for the rest of their lives. That’s why it’s so important to encourage college students to donate to charitable causes. Without outside influence, students are not likely to donate of their own initiative. Who can blame them for being wrapped up in their own worlds? College kids have a lot on their plate. With a little encouragement, however, students are often generous with their excess funds. If you want to inspire charitable giving from college students, consider adopting these proven strategies.

Start a Competition

Humans have a natural desire to win, and this competitive spirit is heightened in the uber-social atmosphere of a college campus. By turning donation drives into competitions, you can inspire a wave of significant contributions. Dividing students into teams is easy since college life offers many possible categories (dormitory floors, dormitories, housing areas, majors, etc.). Once you’ve established a team, the strategy is simple: See who can donate more money in a predetermined amount of time. Devise some prize for the winner, announce the competition’s terms, and watch the donations pour in.

Get Involved With Fraternities and Sororities

Greek life offers excellent opportunities for the types of competition mentioned above. Fraternities and sororities are already divided into cohesive groups with a strong sense of in-group unity, increasing the students’ competitive spirit. Even without competition, you might form beneficial partnerships. Many Greek organizations take pride in their charitable work, and you never know when they might be looking to take on another cause.

Contact Student Leadership

Student leadership councils are already familiar with the structures of student organizations. By going to the top and informing leadership about your charitable efforts, you could catalyze your fundraising. News of the charity drive will spread down the leadership period, allowing different organizational subsets of students to get on board with the project.

Incentivize Donations

When all else fails, it never hurts to give students an incentive to donate. Something as simple as free pizza can make for a successful fundraising event.